"Senior, I'm here to challenge the Ten Formations Pagoda. May I know what to take note of?" Su Zimo came before the old man and asked respectfully.
Even though Su Zimo had been in Array Peak for three months, this was his first time in the Ten Formations Pagoda.
The old man paused for a moment on Su Zimo's face and sized him up before asking, "You don't look familiar. You're not a disciple of Array Peak, right?"
"I'm from Weapon Peak," Su Zimo nodded.
"Oh."
The old man replied and glanced at the sect badge on Su Zimo's waist. Then, he handed him a wooden badge and said in a deep voice, "Take this badge. If you can't hold on or encounter any danger inside, crush this badge immediately and you'll be teleported out safely."
"There's danger in the Ten Formations Pagoda?" Su Zimo was slightly stunned.
The old man explained patiently, "Level 1 of the Ten Formations Pagoda is simple. As long as you set up a support Grade 1 formation, you'll be able to ascend to Level 2. Level 2 is a type of illusion formation that appears randomly. You'll have to dispel the illusion before you can ascend to Level 3. "
"Level 3 is a trap formation. Once you walk out of it, you'll be able to see the entrance to Level 4. Level 4 is a killing formation. It's extremely dangerous and you'll lose your life if you're not careful. If you can't dispel it, don't force yourself and crush this badge. "
"The fifth floor tests a combination of formations. You can combine any two of the Trapping Formation, Illusory Formation, or Killing Formation. Only by breaking the combination of formations can you be considered a Beginner Formation Master and continue to the sixth floor."
Su Zimo had a rough understanding of the Ten Formations Pagoda as he bowed and thanked the old man before entering.
Looking at Su Zimo's back view, the old man smiled and muttered to himself, "It's rare for a disciple of Weapon Peak to challenge the Ten Formations Pagoda. I wonder how many levels that lad can pass. Level 2?"
"Su Zimo. Hmm … that name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it somewhere before."
The old man murmured and shook his head, not thinking too much about it.
After all, many disciples came to challenge the Ten Formations Pagoda daily and the old man only paid attention to the elites of Array Peak.
Ten Formations Pagoda, level one.
This was an extremely spacious room. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing at all.
The ground was a little strange. It was soft and elastic.
This room was sealed off on all sides. As soon as Su Zimo stepped in, the door behind him was tightly shut, and he could not see the entrance to the second floor.
Su Zimo thought for a moment and understood.
The entrance to the second level would only appear if he set up an auxiliary array formation on the ground.
Thinking of this, Su Zimo no longer hesitated. He shot out a stream of spirit energy from his fingertips, squatted on the ground, and carefully drew.
Su Zimo had drawn a soundproof array.
In the soundproof array, no matter what sound was made outside, the people inside would not be able to hear it.
This was the first formation that Su Zimo had learned, and its purpose was naturally to isolate the little crane's cry.
The carving of formation runes required full concentration, without the slightest distraction or deviation.
As long as there was a slight deviation, even if it was just a tiny bit, the formation would not be activated and it would mean that the formation had failed.
This required a cultivator to be extremely patient and have a high level of control over the details. It would be best if they were at the peak!
Array Formation Masters were meticulous people.
Formations could be seen as a game of chess and the Array Formation Master was the gambler.
The game of chess was unpredictable and a single wrong move would result in the loss of the entire game.
For Array Formation Masters, the slightest deviation in the formation runes would result in all their previous efforts being wasted.
The soundproof array was relatively simple and the formation runes were not complicated. Before long, Su Zimo drew an array formation on the ground.
A spirit stone was placed in the eye of the formation and the formation runes on the ground shone brightly.
The soundproof array was activated!
Crack! Crack!
Crack! At the same time, a stone door rose from the southern wall, revealing a stone staircase that led to Level 2.
On the ground, the soundproof array formation runes that Su Zimo had just drawn dissipated gradually and the ground returned to normal. The spirit stone that was placed in the eye of the formation popped out.
"What an ingenious setup."
Chuckling, Su Zimo picked up the spirit stone and walked to Level 2.
The moment he entered Level 2, Su Zimo's body shuddered.
There were towering mountains, misty clouds, green waters and a majestic palace before him – it was like a paradise, a paradise on earth.
Su Zimo realized that he had already entered an illusion formation.
From Level 2 onwards, it was a test of the sect disciples' ability to decipher formations.
The principle behind deciphering a formation was simple. One had to find the core of the formation, also known as the eye of the formation.
The higher the grade of the formation, the more eye points it would have.
For Grade 1 formations, there would only be a single eye.
For Grade 2 formations, there would be two.
If one wanted to decipher a Grade 2 formation, one would not be able to find a single eye. One would have to find both and destroy them in order to decipher the formation.
Although it sounded easy, it was extremely difficult to find the eye of the formation within a formation.
For example, the eye of the illusion array in front of him could be a seemingly ordinary plant, a cloud floating above his head, a rock on a mountain peak, or a fish swimming in a stream …
A single formation was a world unto itself.
If someone who knew nothing about formations wanted to find the eye of the formation and destroy it, they might not even be able to do so even if they spent their entire lives and effort.
However, Array Formation Masters could use their understanding of formations to deduce and analyze to find the eye of the formation.
One thing was for sure – the eye of the formation was definitely not ordinary!
While it might look ordinary, upon closer inspection, one would realize that there was something unusual about the eye of the formation.
A skilled Array Formation Master would be able to conceal the eye of the formation so well that it was difficult for others to detect it.
…
Right as Su Zimo stepped into Level 2 of the Ten Formations Pagoda, a large group of disciples from Array Peak walked over.
Their leader wore black robes and had a cold expression. His eyes were calm and his hands were behind his back. Even though he was only at Level 9 Qi Condensation, he had the bearing of an expert.
His name was Zhong Wen and he was publicly acknowledged as an outstanding talent among the trial disciples. He was a genius of the sect and the number one of Array Peak. Right now, he was already an Elementary Array Formation Master and had cleared Level 6 of the Ten Formations Pagoda. However, he was stuck at Level 7.
Today, Zhong Wen was here to challenge Level 7 once more to see if he could clear it.
Even if he couldn't, he wanted to break the record of clearing Level 6 and break his own record.
Knowing that Zhong Wen was here to challenge the pagoda today, many disciples of Array Peak gathered behind him to watch.
"Senior Brother Zhong, I wish you success this time round and become the first person in the history of the sect to clear Level 7!"
"Senior Brother Zhong is now a Level 9 Qi Refinement Warrior. There are still many chances before you reach Foundation Establishment. You might even be able to clear Level 8 in the future."
Many Weapon Peak disciples behind him complimented him.
Although Zhong Wen was only in his twenties and looked mature, he could not help but feel smug when he heard those words.
No matter what, being the number one of any of the five peaks was something to be proud of.
Zhong Wen's gaze landed on the gigantic stone stele on the right of the Ten Formations Pagoda as a look of pride flashed through his eyes.
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